It's tough being a horror film these days, what with everyone and their granny being ironic and since the genre has basically eaten itself since the Scary Movie franchise came along. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun and while The Pyramid won't catch a cold at the Oscars, it's definitely worth a look if you fancy the odd jumpy moment and a good giggle as the death toll mounts.
The cast is pretty good, and headed by a couple of True Blood types in the shape of Ashley Hinshaw and Denis O'Hare as Nora and Holden, a daughter-father combination of American archaeologists whose team of diggers unearth a previously undiscovered pyramid in the desert outside Cairo.
They're being followed by a TV crew of reporter Sunni (Christa Nicola) and cameraman Fitzie (James Buckley of The Inbetweeners), and the fun begins when the dig has to be abandoned and everyone's to get a plane as Cairo is caught up in rioting.
Ignoring the call to leave, a team of five head into the pyramid and quickly manage to get themselves lost, and spooked out by what seems to be a feral cat or dog. It's nothing of the sort, of course, and it becomes quite apparent very quickly that the dwindling crew are dealing with something far more dangerous than a dodgy dog.
Once you leave your cynicism at the cinema entrance and embrace some really bad decision-making and frankly daft dialogue, this is a fun rollercoaster ride. The 16 classification is spot-on as, while the body count is as expected, there aren't any really gory moments, which will come as a relief to those who like things tense and scary rather than stomach-churning.
Enjoy!
John Byrne
